This property was auctioned at Hotel Diplomat and went for a price of Rs 4.28 crores to the veteran journalist.

Restaurant Delhi Zaika was said to be owned by Dawood and seized by the CBI after the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings,

The starting bid was 1 crore 18 lakh and December 8 was the last date for sending application. However, not many people came out for buying the property.

The property was auctioned by the competent authority and administrator under the Smuggling and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act of 1976 and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Prevention) Act.

Originally known as Hotel Rounaq Afroz, the eatery was renamed Delhi Zaika but remains shut for business.

This is not the first time that a benami property of Dawood Ibrahim will be auctioned. Income Tax authorities have earlier put 11 properties on auction four times since the 1993 bombings but with little success.

It is pertinent to mention here that the auctioneer Balakrishnan had also got threat call from underworld threatening him not to participate in the process.